Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 03, 2010 News
The New Year got off to the worst possible start for a Central Mahaicony family whose house was completely destroyed by fire yesterday morning, leaving nine persons homeless.
And the residents are blaming Guyana Power and Light Incorporated for their woes, citing the burning electricity cable that led to their house for the blaze.
According to reports, the fire, the first reported for the year, quickly engulfed the home and there was nothing anyone could have done to save the hundreds of thousands of dollars in the building.
In fact, the occupants who were at home when the fire started had to run for their lives to avoid becoming statistics.
The house which was located opposite the Mahaicony Hospital was occupied by Alice Spencer, her niece, Christlyn Dey and seven other persons, including children.
Dey told this newspaper that she was doing some laundry under the house when the wire from the utility pole began sparking.
She said that flames began running on the cable that led to their house.
“I was downstairs. I just finish washing and I run upstairs to take out the gas bottle and I got burn,” Dey recalled.
By that time those in the house had already run to safety as the fire spread quickly through the wooden building. The disaster sparked by the fire could not have come at a worse time for the family.
Dey related that they had only just renovated the house when the tragedy struck.
“We put on new windows, buy new furniture, new wall divider, everything. My wardrobe, my passport, my children’s passport, all my documents, all my money. I had $500,000 in my wallet. Oh God! What is this? All my children’s new clothes, toys everything. Nothing we ain’t left with,” the woman said, trying desperately to maintain her composure.
It is not clear if the tension of the wire on the utility pole in front of the house caused the fire. But as the fire raged on, the pole came crashing down dumping live wires on the ground and forcing everyone who was in close proximity to scatter.
Thankfully no damage was done as a result of the fallen pole.
And once again the need for fire-fighting capabilities on the East Coast of Demerara was lamented.
Residents said that they alerted the fire department but by the time they arrived on the scene, the house was already flattened.
“The police were already here, long before they (fire service) came. Everything was destroyed before the fire truck came,” Dey said.
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